We awoke this morning inside the Caledonian Canal. Shortly after breakfast, we began our ascent up Neptune’s Staircase; a series of eight locks. The Caledonian canal links four natural lochs: Lochy, Oich, Ness, and Dochfour. We spent our morning transiting the canal and hearing a lecture on board from our historian, Anna Webster. After lunch, we had the option to depart the ship at Kytra lock and walk the two miles alongside the canal into Fort Augustus. This picturesque town lies on the south shore of Loch Ness. We then took a longer hike around the outskirts of Fort Augustus to see the natural and cultural sights of this beautiful town of the Highlands. We returned to the Lord of the Glens to enjoy a much-deserved cocktail hour and dinner. A fantastic day here in Scotland.
6/15/2025
Read
Lord of the Glens
Loch Ness, Culloden and Clava Cairns
Today we entered the famous Loch Ness, home of Nessie! We then visited the hallowed Scots battle ground of Culloden. On April 16, 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie and his highland troops fought a courageous but doomed battle against the well-armed troops under the Duke of Cumberland, the son of King George II. Fifteen thousand highlanders were killed, while the English lost 300. Culloden Moor was soddened from a recent rain, which greatly impeded the highland troops and their traditional form of warfare. Additionally, they were massively outgunned by the English artillery. Bonnie Prince Charlie managed to escape despite a £30,000 bounty on his head, and he returned to France. This ended the Jacobite efforts to return the throne to the rightful Stuart heirs. The Culloden Museum was excellent and provided an overview of the tragic event that took place there. We next visited the Bronze age site of Clava Cairns. There circular stone grave sites, passage graves, and standing stone aligned to the solstice are 4,500 years-old and part of the megalithic culture from Malta to Shetland. They have been used by the local population for ritual purposes and infrequent burials until 700 CE.
